The clouds parted and welcomed the first rays of sunlight, illuminating the streets and buildings; the forest and fields that was his home. The calm atmosphere, coupled with the soft wind that wind blew in the air was a vast contrast to the storm of feelings that brew in the pit of his stomach. He hardly slept last night, and he was just as restless now with his mind running back and forth, thinking about the past, the future, and everything in between.

No one had warned him it would feel this way.

"You look set," Sasuke approached, taking off his ANBU mask in the process. Naruto had to admit he would have been successfully assassinated on the day of his ascension to Hokage, had that been Sasuke's intention.

"Did you know I had to request permission to leave my duties just to see you today?"

Naruto smiled. "Well I am technically your boss now."

"And you certainly like to rub it in,"

"Only a little. I did almost die when I battled you,"

"But you still won. Now you're just being unfair."

"Alright, alright. I'll stop," he gave the Uchiha a firm squeeze on the shoulder, probably his sorry excuse for a hug; something he really wanted to give.

"You're not gonna go all soft on me, are you?" Sasuke was quick to step away to face him, only to find Naruto's eyes locked somewhere else; a faint blush creeping in his cheeks. He need not turn to know what could only be the culprit of such reactions to the Hokage.

"Well, yeah y'know... I guess I could..." Naruto's voice trailed into nothingness as he swallowed; too entranced at the approaching pink-haired kunoichi. She had not noticed this as she was busy cheking the pockets of her white medic coat; and hung on her forearm, his own Hokage robe.

When Sakura found what she was looking for she raised her head to find both her old team mates staring at her.

"Hokage-sama," she greeted, and Naruto's stomach gave a wild, uncontrollable lurch. "And I'm glad to see you could make it, Sasuke."

The Uchiha nodded and said, "Well I guess you could say I wouldn't miss it for the world." He rolled his eyes, waiting for some retort from the new Hokage. The man did not do anything, rather, he continued ogling at Sakura, while the latter seemed completely oblivious.

"Well then, I better get going. I'll see you both out there," Sasuke left with a wave of his hand, leaving them to regard each other.

"I got your robe. Why did you just leave it on the counter? It had bread crumbs on it!" she held the robe to him, her eyes wandering the fabric, checking for anything out of order.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I guess I'm not used to the huge space, I probably wasn't thinking when I left it there." Naruto scratched his head, wondering if she could see through how big a fool he looked. He really was big, considering he now stood at least a foot taller. As for her, he was inclined to think the only growing that happened was her hair, and, cheesy as it may sound, her heart. There seemed to be no limit to her compassion, despite her famous temper that even he couldn't hold at bay. She had saved so many people in the last five years he was willing to bet she saved more than he.

"Wasn't thinking, huh? Why am I not surprised?" she replied, brows raised. Apparently it hadn't sunk to him that she was actually handing him the robe. She let out an exaperated sigh and unfurled it in her hands. "Here, let me."

"Wha-"

"Turn around, Naruto. This isn't going to put itself on you,"

"Oh... Yeah, I suppose..." he turned around and did as he was told, feeling his skin light up on fire as she guided his arms to the sleeves, slowly lifting the robe to smooth it flat at his shoulders with her feather-light touch. She moved to his front, tugging at the collar and running her hands over the creases on his chest.

"There!" she beamed, meeting his eyes for a quick moment before stepping back.

"How do I look?" he inquired expectantly, stepping forward to return to their earlier proximity.

She had been looking at the sky just moments before, seemingly not listening to him. But she cocked her head to side and shrugged before turning to him.

"You look like your father. I'm sure he's very proud."

They fell silent for a moment, eyes searching as they stood face to face. Being the Fouth Hokage's son was the kind of thing he would always be proud of, but hearing it come from her was something more. Something infinitely satisfying he couldn't quite understand. Today was the start of a new day for him, the start of his new life - the rest of his life - and he wanted no other to share it with.

A gust of wind blew the hair to her face, forcing her to look down and break the tense exchange.

"You know," he brushed away her bangs, slowly letting his fingers run through her now waist-length pink hair. "If only your hair was a bit darker, you'd kinda resemble my mom."

She blinked, unable to hide the blood rising to her cheeks. "Okay... What's that supposed to mean?"

He stepped closer, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "It means we're a good pair."

Sakura turned her head slightly, so that their faces were inches from each other, noses almost touching, his breath tickling her cheek. His gaze seemed to pierce through her, sending a chill down her spine, thoughts reeling, stirring her from within. It was a weird place to be in, being against each other like that, with nothing to anchor her but her weak knees and small feet, his nearness almost suffocating. His robes billowed the same direction as her coat, white against white, and she wondered where she really stood, and whether both of them were in the same ground.

Before she could gather her wits to speak, he took her lips into his and pulled her in a tight embrace. Against his arms it was surprisingly warm, and inside her own body she felt like she could allow herself the liberty to feel. And so she moved her lips and returned his kiss, her arms finding their place around his neck, pulling him closer till there was no space between them, pouring her emotions till there was no longer any trace of doubt.

They parted for a moment; him, grinning from ear to ear, and her, blushing madly and unable to meet his eyes.

"So what just happened, Sakura-chan?"

She refused to meet his gaze; too comfortable in his arms, too in love with the smile in his voice, too scared to want him more. Her brain was a fuzz, and her heart overflowing with an endless barrage of emotions, all of it screaming, aching, dying to be let out.

"I love you."

His reply was a wary chuckle followed by a deep, slow breath. She did not know what to make of this, but when he leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead, somehow she felt a bit better. Her resolve was to bury her face in the crook of his shoulder, all the while daring herself to hope this wasn't just anything, rather, it was something.

"Sakura-chan,"

"Hmm?" he smelled manly and clean... oh, was she in for an addiction.

"You look beautiful today."

"What do you mean, this is what I look like everyday."

"Oh... My mistake for not complimenting you every day, then. I'll make it up to you over dinner."

He said it like it was a done deal, like she wouldn't dare say no. She tried to pull away, intending to scold him full on, when he met her gaze; his deep blue eyes searching her own.

"Objections, Ms. Haruno?" He briefly reached for her hand and planted a kiss, letting his lips linger over the surface of her skin.

"None right now, but if you don't get a move on, you're going to be late for your own ceremony, Hokage-sama."

She stepped back, purposely crossing her arms to avoid any more contact. Rather than looking worried, his eyes lit up as he remembered the matters for the day, and already thinking about ways to shorten it so he could be with her sooner.

"Good thinking, Sakura-chan. I best be going, then. See you out thee!"

He turned on his heel without another word, this time, catching her off guard. She didn't expect he would leave so abruptly, as if he had just ramdomly passed by. She faced the other direction, insecurity slowly creeping in. She had just confessed and he said nothing... And now he's about to leave without so much as a word.

Ready to curse herself into oblivion, once again she was caught unawares as strong arms wrapped around her, a flash of blue, orange and white, a pair of hands cupping her face, a kiss so deep she was left breathless, and it was Naruto all over again. Then it had ended as swiftly as it began, with nothing but a shadow of his lips on hers, and a breathy, passionate voice whispered in her ear.

"I love you, Sakura-chan."